Compendium of the most significant studies with reference to properties, intake, effects.

Kırlangıç ÖF, Kaya-Sezginer E, Ören S, Gür S, Yavuz Ö, Özgürtaş T. Cytotoxic and Apoptotic Effects of the Combination of Borax (Sodium Tetraborate) and 5-Fluorouracil on DLD-1 Human Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Cell Line. Turk J Pharm Sci. 2022 Aug 31;19(4):371-376. doi: 10.4274/tjps.galenos.2021.29726.

Abstract. Objectives: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a crucial health problem due to the toxicity of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) as first-line chemotherapy agent for treating CRC. The anticancer effects of boron and its compounds have been shown in various cell lines. This study aimed to examine the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of borax (sodium tetraborate) alone or along with 5-FU on human CRC cells, DLD-1. Materials and methods: Cytotoxicity and apoptosis were determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole and annexin V/propidium iodide staining. Results: The results showed that combined treatment revealed a significant time- and concentration-dependent cytotoxic effect on DLD-1 cells compared with borax or 5-FU treatment alone. The combination of borax and 5-FU induced a clear increase in the early apoptotic cell percentage, compared to the cells treated with monotherapies. Additionally, a significant increase in condensed and fragmented nuclei was detected in DLD-1 cells treated with the combination treatment compared with borax or 5-FU alone. Conclusion: Our current findings suggest that the combination of borax with 5-FU has a strong cytotoxic and apoptotic effect on the human CRC DLD-1 cells.

Diaz-Rosas, G., Cruz-Hernández, M., Ortega-Camarillo, C., Pedraza-Galeana, A., López-Torres, A. and Contreras-Ramos, A., The Sodium Borate Relieves the Hypertrophic Damage Induced During Pregnancy, it Improves Contractibility, Reduces Oxidative Stress and Stimulates Cell Proliferation. 

Abstract. Fetal and postnatal hypertrophy develop in response to such different exposures or illnesses the mother suffers during gestation as anti-infectious and physical agents, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and even advanced maternal age. This gives rise to high comorbidities in the newborn; therefore, looking for alternatives that contribute to cardiac homeostasis is quite necessary to inhibit the overgrowth of myocytes. Boron-derivative compounds could play a key role in exerting a repairing effect on chronic cardiac damage induced during gestation.The cardiotoxic effect of 6.4, 12 and 100 mg/kg of sodium tetraborate administered by oral delivery route to healthy pregnant mice was assessed. After that, the use of the chemical compound was tested in the treatment of pregnant mice previously subjected to isoproterenol (fetal hypertrophy model) on the fifth day post coitus. Prior to the sacrifice of the pups of mice an electrocardiography (ECG) was done. Morphological and histological changes of heart were assessed in newborn pups. As a damage marker, the concentration of p38 nitrogen-activated protein kinases were evaluated by using Western Blot and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) as well as glutathione antioxidants (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were tested by spectrometry. Moreover, the mRNA expression for early response genes (c-jun, c-fos y c-myc), late response (GATA-4, Mef2c, NFAT) and heart damage (ANP and BNP) was measured by qPCR real time.The supply of 6,4 and 12 mg/kg-sodium tetraborate favored ventricular remodeling with histological alterations. By comparison, 100 mg/kg of sodium tetraborate administered during the fetal stage did not alter neither the cardiac morphology of six-week old pups nor the p38/P-p38MAPK ratio remained the same and no oxidative stress was observed.When pregnant females treated with isoproterenol were treated with 100 mg/kg sodium tetraborate during the fetal stage, an improvement in contractility was detected in the pups with an actual reduction in myocardial fibrosis and oxidative stress, but cardiac mass increased. In addition, the expression levels of c-jun, c-myc, GATA-4, MEF2c and ANP mRNA declined in comparison with CTR. However, the hypertrophic damage mechanism was sustained by c-fos, NFAT and BNP expressions.The set of results achieved suggests that high concentrations of sodium tetraborate have no cardiotoxic effects. Furthermore, sodium tetraborate mitigates hypertrophy induced during pregnancy, thereby improving contractibility, reducing oxidative stress and stimulating cell proliferation. Therefore, sodium tetraborate could be an excellent prophylactic treatment administered by delivery oral route during pregnancy when there is a risk of developing fetal left ventricular hypertrophy.

Hernández-Gutiérrez, S., Roque-Jorge, J., López-Torres, A., Díaz-Rosas, G., García-Chequer, A.J. and Contreras-Ramos, A., 2020. Role of sodium tetraborate as a cardioprotective or competitive agent: Modulation of hypertrophic intracellular signals. Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology, 62, p.126569.

Abstract. Boron is an essential trace element in cellular metabolism; however, the molecular mechanism of boron in the heart is unclear. In this study, we examined the effect of sodium tetraborate (as boron source) as a possible protective agent or competitive inhibitor of cardiac hypertrophy in an in vitro murine model. We evaluated different previously reported sodium tetraborate concentrations and it was found that 13 μM improves viability without affecting the cellular structure. We demonstrated that cardiomyocytes pretreated with sodium tetraborate prevents cellular damage induced by isoproterenol (cardioprotective effect) by increasing proliferation rate and inhibiting apoptosis. In addition, the reduction of the expression of the α1AR and β1AR adrenergic receptors as well as Erk1/2 was notable. Consequently, the expression of the early response genes c-myc, c-fos and c-jun was delayed. Also, the expression of GATA-4, NFAT, NKx2.5 and myogenin transcription factors involved in sarcomere synthesis declined. In contrast, cardiomyocytes, when treated simultaneously with sodium tetraborate and isoproterenol, did not increase their size (cytoplasmic gain), but an increase in apoptosis levels was observed; therefore, the proliferation rate was reduced. Although the mRNA levels of α1AR and β1AR as well as Erk1/2 and Akt1 were low at 24 h, their expression increased to 48 h. Notably, the mRNA of expression levels of c-myc, c-fos and c-jun were lower than those determined in the control, while the transcription factors GATA-4, MEF2c, Nkx2.5, NFAT and CDk9 were determined in most cells. These results suggest that pretreatment with sodium tetraborate in cardiomyocytes inhibits the hypertrophic effect. However, sodium tetraborate attenuates isoproterenol induced hypertrophy damage in cardiomyocytes when these two compounds are added simultaneously.

Yang, L.K., Nigg, H.N., Fraser, S., Burns, E. and Simpson, S.E., 2000. Midgut proteinase types and sodium tetraborate effects on midgut proteinase activities of female Anastrepha suspensa (Diptera: Tephritidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 93(3), pp.602-609.

Abstract. Anastrepha suspensa (Loew), Caribbean fruit fly, is an economically important insect of tropical and subtropical fruit in Florida (Burditt and Von Windeguth 1975). The Florida grapefruit industry has spent many millions of dollars on quarantine measures for A. suspensa (Nigg et al. 1994). These measures include fumigation of export fruit to Japan and malathion/bait ground applications and trapping for “fly free” zones (Simpson 1993). A. suspensa is a polyphagous herbivore that feeds on a broad spectrum of tropical and subtropical fruit including common guava, Psidium guajava L.; surinam cherry, Eugenia uniflora L.; and calamondin, Citrus mitis Blanco (Swanson and Baranowski 1972). Many studies related to biological and ecological aspects of A. suspensa have been conducted (Nation 1972, 1990,; Mazomenos et al. 1977; Burk 1983; Webb et al. 1984; Sivinski and Heath 1988; Nigg et al. 1994), no data have been generated on digestive proteinases in A. suspensa. Sodium tetraborate is added to proteinaceous fruit fly lures to serve as a preservative (Lopez and Spishakoff 1963). A patent on the use of sodium tetraborate toxicants for the control of Tephritid flies describes the cessation of egg laying for up to 7 d after a 24 h feeding with sodium tetraborate (Nigg and Simpson 1997). A. suspensa has an absolute requirement for protein so that eggs develop and oviposition occurs (Nigg et al. 1995), as apparently do other Tephritidae (Ferro and Zucoloto 1990). A possible mechanism of oviposition termination by sodium tetraborate is interference with protein digestion. The purposes of this study were to determine the midgut proteinase types and the effect of sodium tetraborate on these proteinase activities in female A. suspensa.

Aung MM, U PP. The effect of sodium tetraborate and alum in the management of acute childhood diarrhoea. Ann Trop Paediatr. 1986 Mar;6(1):27-9. doi: 10.1080/02724936.1986.11748406. 

Abstract. The effect of oral rehydration (OR) has been well established in the management of dehydration in acute childhood diarrhoea. Many authors have been trying to find additives of all types which would be effective in retaining oral fluids and promoting their active absorption into the circulation. Any agent which will effectively reduce oral rehydration requirements should be considered for prospective studies. Amongst the traditional medicines, it was noticed that sodium tetraborate (borax) and alum reduced appreciably the fluid requirement in many cases of acute childhood diarrhoea. This traditional usage of these chemicals without any noticeable side effects has been described for centuries. During preliminary observations on 26 of our children given these salts no side effects were detected.

Yudanova, T.N., Skokova, I.F., Aleshina, E.Y. and Gal'braikh, L.S., 2000. Polyvinyl alcohol film materials containing biopolymers: Preparation and properties. Fibre Chemistry, 32(5), pp.347-352.

Abstract. The properties and conditions of fabrication of spinning solutions based on polyvinyl alcohol containing the enzyme protease C, a high-molecular-weight antimicrobial, polyhexamethyleneguanidine hydrochloride, and modifying additives of different kinds — the polysaccharide sodium alginate and sodium tetraborate, were investigated. A correlation was established between the proteolytic activity of the film materials, degree of swelling, and composition of the spinning solutions used to prepare them.

Georges, B.J., Evariste, F., Achille, B., Joseph, Z.M., Moise, N.A., Dieudonné, A., Lambert, S.M. and Patrick, A.N., 2022. Synergistic effect of Jatropha curcas seed oil and sodium tetraborate treatment on wood resistance to fungal attacks: case of Ayous (Triplochiton scleroxylon), a high value commercial wood species in tropical Africa. Wood Material Science & Engineering, 17(3), pp.186-191.

Abstract. This study evaluated the synergistic effect of Jatropha curcas seed oil and sodium tetraborate as a preservative of Triplochiton scleroxylon wood against four selected fungi species. The experimental design consisted of seven treatments with different concentrations of sodium tetraborate and J. curcas seed oil at a concentration of 4000 μg/l in all treatments, except the control. Mycelia growth of the different fungi was measured daily in vitro for 4 days. Wood blocks of T. scleroxylon of 25 × 15 × 5 mm with 25% moisture content each were exposed to the 4 fungi for 16 weeks and weight loss was measured. As compared to the control, all the treatments influenced mycelia growth. Treatment with Jatropha seed oil was effective in reducing significantly the mycelia growth (P < .05). The higher the sodium tetraborate concentration, the lower the mycelium growth. Untreated samples gave highest weight loss of 25.15 ± 0.01% with Scopulariopsis sp., while treated samples yielded the lowest weight loss with values of 0.74 ± 0.01, 0.33 ± 0.01, 0.32 ± 0.01, and 0.07 ± 0.06 with Scopulariopsis sp., Poria placenta, Penicilium sp. and Mucor graphium, respectively. The combination of J. curcas seed oil and sodium tetraborate is a potential eco-friendly wood protectant against fungal attacks.